The pilot departed for the visual flight rules cross-country flight with about 12 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank for the planned 1 hour and 40-minute flight.
She reported that while en route the Cessna 172’s fuel gauges were reading “low” and were fluctuating.
Closer to the destination, the fuel gauges indicated that more fuel was present in the right fuel tank, so she moved the fuel selector from the “both” position to the “right” position.
About 1.5 hours into the flight, while flying at an altitude of about 2,000 feet above ground level and while being provided with radar vectors to the airport traffic pattern at the destination airport, the engine “started sputtering and got quiet.”
The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful, and she subsequently performed a forced landing in a field near Greenville, South Carolina.
The impact with the ground resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The pilot sustained serious injuries in the crash.
Post-accident examination of the airplane found that the intact right-wing fuel tank was empty, that the intact left-wing fuel tank had about 6 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel remaining, and that the fuel selector was in the right tank position.
During a post-accident interview the pilot stated that when the engine lost power she did not use a checklist in her attempt to restart the engine. Review of the power loss in flight checklist found aboard the airplane revealed that the sixth item stated “fuel selector – check/switch/both.”
Based on all available information, it is likely that after the pilot selected the right fuel tank earlier in the flight, its fuel supply was eventually exhausted, and the engine lost power. It is also likely that, had the pilot used the checklist and selected the “both” position on the fuel selector, the fuel remaining in the left fuel tank could have restored engine power before the forced landing.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing was the pilot’s failure to use the checklist aboard the airplane during her attempts to restore engine power.
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This November 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I wouldn’t be to quick to judge the young pilot as dumb or stupid until you have been in her shoes. An engine failure for any reason can be startling if not down right frightening. At a relatively low altitude there is little time to react. At first there is a sense of confusion not knowing exactly what’s happening and why. Then there is the moment of denial that it is actually happening. Captain Sully knows this all too well. The young pilot survived but not without serious injury. Granted if she had used the checklist, whether it be by heart or on paper, she would have maybe switched the tanks back to both and the engine would have immediately responded. She still had 7 gallons on board. All an engine needs to run is fuel and ignition. A quick checklist flow: ignition (mags), mixture, fuel, and carb heat, should be easy enough to remember, and be can done in seconds. Obviously, the experience of losing an engine overwhelmed the pilot as she did her best to ward off panic. She survived. If she continues to fly, I feel confident she will learn from her mistake.
I do not see that she could have had 24 gallons to start with, and used 18 gallons enroute with that engine. Even with my 180hp 172, that flight would have taken less than 17 gallons. I don’t think she properly stuck the tanks to determine their actual quantity. Although I often depart with partial fuel loads, I’m careful to have plenty of fuel for the flight plus well more than the 30 minute required reserve. I prefer at least a full hour reserve.
I have often selected right or left tanks when on cross country flights, both to maintain balance and to keep better track of actual fuel consumption. So I don’t fault her for that. But in an apparent fuel emergency, whether using a checklist or memory, a basic step is to switch tanks. I do fault her, and the emergency training she received, for not doing that.
Full tanks beat half tanks on any flight! I truly wonder why check lists exist! A lot of pilots both inexperienced and experienced either try to do it from memory or not at all however I am sure that’s not what they were taught…
I have over 1500 hours in Cessnas and I have never moved the fuel selector to right or left. It’s either on both or off.
I once did select left and made a left turn on a sightseeing flight and fuel starved the engine. Never again. Scared the passengers thoroughly. Fortunately, I realized what I did and recovered quickly but for a second or two I encountered the unthinkable. No harm on selecting both. But checklists are go back to the original B-17 where the prototype and the chief test pilot bought it due to not unlocking the elevator externally. The checklist was born as a result. On both in the C-172 you do not need your attention on it but you sure do if selecting left or right
Gosh, I bet the engine doesn’t run well if at all with fuel off. There are lots of planes out there that with only a left and right selection. My float plane has only a left and right selection. I few
V35, A36, and a B36TC Bonanzas for years. Fuel selection was only left and right, no both.
Cessnas have the best of “both” worlds except for the Cessna 210. The 210 is left and right only.
I love reading the comments on here. Everyone has an idea of how they would have done better.
You talk as if this wasn’t an avoidable and clumsy mishap. Everyone on here who has never run out of gas due to proper fuel management and checklist use has proven that they can do better.
I had a close one in a 172 that could have gone this way. Someone had flown the airplane before me and left the fuel selector on one tank. There was plenty of fuel for the 90 minute flight I’d planned. It wasn’t until I landed that I noticed the fuel imbalance.
It always amazes me how many pilots know nearly nothing about how things work on their airplane. I’m not saying we all need to be A&P’s, but everyone should have an understanding of the basic systems of the airplane. A basic understanding of the fuel system would have prevented this accident.
Again, the POH specifies that for takeoff and landing that the fuel selector must be on ‘BOTH’.
With so little fuel in the tanks, there would be little to no imbalance, even if one tank was dry, the imbalance would be 72 lb. max.!
I’ve only switched to a single tank a few time, only after filling both tanks. The interconnected vent tube will get fuel in it and cause an uneven fuel draw. Switching to the fuller tank seems to pull the fuel out of the vent tube and all is well after 15-20 minutes.
Was there a benefit to switching to the right tank even if she thought there was more fuel there?
Wouldn’t keeping it in BOTH airlines just as well?
I owned a 172 many years ago and always flew in BOTH. I think I’d use LEFT or RIGHT only in the case of an imbalance affecting handling.
You simply can’t fix dumb
It’s in the POH and every Cessna 172 pilot knows, for takeoff and landing…’Fuel Selector on BOTH’….With 148 hrs in 172’s, this is usually a ‘no-brainer’.
However, there is no way that there was 24 gallons on takeoff.
The O-320 , at 76% power uses 8.5 gph. So, for the 1.66 hrs flown,it would use 14 gallons.
The pilot claimed flying at 97 kts, and a fuel burn of 6.3 gph. ??
The C172P can have the optional long range tanks, 54 gal, vs the std 43 gal.
[per the photo, it had the 40 gal usable tanks ].
If the pilot used the ‘long range’ fuel stick, it would look like there was 24 gallons, but it reality would be 19 gal., and 3 of that is unusable, so 16 gal.
So, at 6.5 gph [ 97kts], x 1.66 hrs is about 11 gal , and the 6 gal remaining gets close to 17-16 calculated….oops.!